Updated in 2022.
Pereira, Colombia.
Located in the west of Colombia, in the coffee producing region, Pereira is situated in a small valley between Colombia’s three major cities: Bogota, Cali and Medellin.
You may know it as Catalina’s hometown from the critically-acclaimed telenovela Sin Senos no hay Paraiso… then again, you may not.
POPULATION: 600,000
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Table of Contents
RENT AN APARTMENT IN PEREIRA
$3o0.00. Spend more to get more. In Pereira, you might want to lest you end up with a terrible apartment in an unsavory area. You can cross over to neighboring Dosquebradas for slightly cheaper rent.
DAY TRIPS & THINGS TO DO IN PEREIRA
Rent a mountain bike and hit the trails! Colombia has become a major cycling destination in recent years.
Visit the Parque del Cafe, an amusement park dedicated to coffee!
Visit Lake Otún for amazing natural beauty. Its part of the Parque Nacional Los Nevados.
Check out the Pereira Art Museum. A quick activity with free entry.
Take a day trip to the Cocora Valley and Salento to visit the famous instagram-worthy palm trees.
Check out the other cities in Colombia’s coffee triangle, namely Armenia, Ibagué, and Manizales.
NIGHTLIFE IN PEREIRA
7.5/10
Pereria has a very respectable nightlife scene.
The main bar area of Pereira is located around Avenida Circunvalar (also known as La Circunvalar) near the Kolibri hostel.
There are some more bars between Parque Policia and Parque El Lago, but the stuff around Carrera 13 and Circunvalar is better. Stick to the Circunvalar & Carrera 13 areas if you’re only in town for a short stay.
Bars en Avenida Circunvalar, PereiraI recommend:
El Patio Bar Pereira: Trendy bar near the Circunvalar.
Licorera del Piero: Probably the most frequented bar on the Circunvalar.
Yii Bar: Another classic bar on the Circunvalar with patio.
Paradise: The biggest and baddest one has to be. It’s a hell of a good time.
Rock Plaza: Rock bar for an alternative scene.
Tropical Cocktails: I also used to recommend this place, a club that is a chain in Colombia, but the Pereira location appears to have closed. RIP to a legend.
IS PEREIRA SAFE?
Pereira can be dangerous, and people from other Colombian cities will not hesitate to tell you this. Enough time in Pereira, and you’ll probably get robbed in some fashion. The good news is that the crime isn’t usually too violent, and common sense and a bit of street smarts go a long way. I’d say it’s more dangerous for tourists than Medellin.
COST OF LIVING IN PEREIRA
The following data is from Expatistan, a crowdsourced database of prices and cost of living around the world. In our experience, the data tends to underestimate cost of living, so take the following as the minimum you might need to live here.
*Figures are listed in USD
You’ll need a minimum of $555 USD/month to live in Pereira, Colombia
FINAL THOUGHTS
So far, I’ve probably made Pereira sound like paradise. There’s beautiful people, great nightlife, high standard of living, great coffee, and cheap rent. Ready for the downside?
Here it comes: the city itself isn’t all that aesthetically appealing. It’s industrial and there isn’t much to do.
Although there are many activities in the surrounding areas – which are beautiful – if you stay in the city itself, you’ll get bored within the week. The coffee would be enough to keep me here for awhile except for the fact that – in addition to being gritty and dull – Pereira isn’t very safe. It’s a shame because with some polishing Pereira could be one of Latin America’s hidden gems.
For more information about Colombia’s coffee region, check out this Great Post From Nomadic Hustle!
Be sure to read the My Latin Life city guides to every city in Colombia’s coffee triangle – Armenia, Ibagué, Manizales, and Pereira!
OVERALL RATING: 7.5/10
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